The concept of mobile equipment is used in a wide signification and refers to an apparatus such as for example, a mobile telephone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a portable digital television receiver, a laptop computer, etc.
Mobile equipment generally includes at least one removable security module being used on one hand for identifying the equipment at connection to a network and on the other hand for controlling access to services broadcasted by the network. This security module it known as a SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module) or USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) for 3rd generation equipment suitable for connecting to a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network or even a RUIM (Re-Usable Identification. Module) for equipment designed to access a COMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network.
During manufacturing and/or during a personalization phase of the security module, the operator managing the network and the broadcasted services introduces an identifier of the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identification) type for identifying, in a secure and unique way, each subscriber wishing to connect to a mobile network.
Moreover, each mobile equipment is physically identified by a number stored in a non-volatile memory of the equipment. This number, called IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier), contains an identification of the type of the mobile equipment and a serial number for identifying in a unique way a given mobile equipment on a network of the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), GPRS (General Packet Radio System) UMTS, (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) type or the like. Mobile equipment is also characterized by a software version SVN (Software Version Number) indicating the update status of the System software installed on the mobile equipment. The combination of the identification of the type and the serial number of the mobile equipment with the software version (SVN) gives a new identification, called IMEISV (International Mobile Equipment Identifier and Software Version Number). In the case of IP (Internet Protocol) mobile networks of the WLAN (Wireless Local-Area Network), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) type or the like, the physical identifier can be a MAC (Media Access Control) address that corresponds to the unique address that identifies the hardware configuration of a user on the network and the software version can be transmitted by higher layer protocols based on IP.
During the activation of a mobile equipment, more particularly at its connection to the network of an operator, information comprising the identification data is exchanged between the mobile equipment and the managing centre of the operator that may or may not authorize its use. As the services offered to users become increasingly developed, their security must be increased accordingly in order to protect the users and the operators against fraud committed by third parties attempting to obtain access or services illegally.
The document WO98/57474 describes a wireless telephone handset provided with a smart card in which an address of an Internet provider is stored. The card is read by the handset equipped with a browsing software using the stored address to connect the handset to the Internet. The card also includes one or more micro-servers that each have an address allowing data exchanges with the Internet and a memory for storing different user data. The functions or applications memorized by the card's micro-servers, such as for example an access program to a bank account or an electronic purse, can be downloaded and updated on the Internet.
The document US2003/0041127 describes a system and a method for updating the firmware of an apparatus, via a communication network. The method includes the steps of determining the current version of a firmware installed in the apparatus, searching of predetermined updating sites, comparing the current version of the firmware with the available version and sending e-mails to notify when firmware updating is necessary.
Mobile television services, within the scope of standard ETSI TS 102 474. “IP Datacast over DVB-H: Service Purchase and Protection (SPP)” involve the use of an owner security application in the mobile equipment. According to the standard, this application can be defined in the form of a Java application loaded into the equipment to be executed on a Java Virtual Machine. The application communicates with the elements of the mobile equipment (IP stack, SIM card, display, keyboard, etc. . . . ) via API (Application Programming Interface) interfaces standardized by the Java environment.
Presently, the application allowing the protection and security of the data broadcasted by mobile television services is installed in the mobile equipment during Manufacturing and it is dedicated to a specific market. The standard ETSI TS 102 474 does not provide any means for loading this application into the equipment, for example, when it is first activated or connected to the network.
It should be noted that the applications installed in a mobile equipment do not necessarily function in a structure based on the Java environment. They can also be loaded, for example, in the form of binary code by using the resources provided by an operating system such as MS-Windows-CE, Linux etc.